By FHSU University Communications
“Sorting out History,” a traveling exhibit designed to encourage discussions about racial stereotypes past and present, will open at the Hays Public Library on August 1.
The display was made possible through a Humanities Kansas grant and is co-sponsored by the FHSU Department of History and Philosophy, Hays Public Library, and the FHSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
The display, which runs until Sept. 29, was created by the Kaufman Museum at Bethel College and includes vintage and contemporary objects readily found in thrift stores that include depictions of race and ethnicity.
FHSU history department graduate students are assisting with the exhibit installation.
Through interactives and guided discussions, visitors can consider whether these items should remain in circulation or be “sorted out” from the retail environment.
The “Sorting out History” exhibit can be traced back to 2014 when Humanities Kansas awarded a grant to the Kauffman Museum in North Newton for the development of its exhibition “Sorting out Race,” which used easily accessible thrift store items to explore themes of enduring stereotypes and racial imagery. The exhibit was well-received and has been shown at multiple national locations.
“The exhibit concept was a result of a conversation between the museum staff and a local thrift store owner who was seeing things come into her store that made her wonder if the materials were appropriate to sell in a retail shop or if they should be ‘sorted out’ and removed,” said Julie Mulvihill, executive director of Humanities Kansas.
Thanks to a “United We Stand” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support opportunities in Kansas, exploring the complexities of American history, Humanities Kansas has created opportunities to consider the legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court Decision, now celebrating its 70th anniversary, through public programs, a national exhibition and the four-stop tour of “Sorting Out Race.”
“The landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education, was brought to the Supreme Court by a group of thoughtful black parents right down the road in Topeka, Kansas,” said Kim Perez, FHSU associate professor of history. “And the court’s decision changed the nation's educational landscape.”
Perez said that Kansans should be proud of this legacy but also consider the obstacles that people of color still face today.
“The ‘Sorting Out Race’ exhibit and the associated speaker series will help Hays residents to discuss these obstacles by examining everyday items you might find in the local thrift store,” she said. “We hope that the people who visit the exhibit will consider the impact that stereotype has on our neighbors.”
The exhibition, Mulvihill pointed out, showcases many items created in the mid-20th century after the 1954 case.
“The Brown v. Board case changed schools but didn’t immediately change attitudes,” Mulvihill said. “Visitors who go to the ‘Sorting Out Race’ exhibition at the Hays Public Library can tour the exhibit and choose for themselves what they would ‘sort out’ and what they wouldn’t.”
“Providing these types of opportunities for Kansans is an important way to honor the legacy of the Brown v. Board case.”
To build on the themes of the exhibit, a series of lectures will address racial stereotypes:
• August 27 at 5:30 p.m. (Fox Theatre), reception. At 6:30 p.m., Dr. Alex Red Corn will present "Which Box Should I Check? American Indians, Stereotypes, Imagery, and Educational Systems." Following his discussion, attendees are invited to the Hays Public Library to view the exhibit. The reception is free and open to the public.
•Sept. 12 at 6 p.m., (Hays Public Library): "The Power of Imagery and the Civil Rights Experience" by Ann Dean.
• September 18 at 6 p.m., (Hays Public Library): Unpacking Stereotypes: A Journey Through Mexican American Representation in Thrift Finds and Media” by Dr. Marco Macias.
• Sept. 24 at 6 p.m., (Hays Public Library): Brown v. Board of Education Distance Learning Program.
For more information about the display, visit: https://kauffmanmuseum.org/exhibitions/travelingexhibits/sortingoutrace/